MAMMALS 



killed at Stapleford, but I did not see it, as it was 

 years before I was employed by Lord Harborough.' 



Col. F. Palmer, of Withcote Hall, writing to me 

 in 1888, said that about fifty years previously the 

 marten cat occurred in Owston Wood. 

 14. Polecat. Putorius putorius, Linn. 



Bell Mustek putorius. 



Locally, Foumart (i.e. Foul Mart or Marten, to 

 distinguish it from the Pine-Marten, which 

 was anciently called Sweet Mart), Fitchet. 

 Increasingly rare, and, if not now, will soon become 

 extinct. Harley wrote : ' Commonly diffused over 

 the county. Met with most frequently in the more 

 densely-wooded parts of it. Occurs not seldom in 

 the vicinage of such woods as those of Oakley, 

 Piper, Grace Dieu, and Gopsall.' The MS. dona- 

 tion-book of the Leicester Museum records one 

 presented on 26 October, 1850, by Mr. Joseph 

 Knight, of Aylestone, which Major Gregory Knight 

 told me was trapped at Blaby by a gamekeeper in the 

 employ of his late father. The late Mr. R. Widdow- 

 son wrote in 1885 : 'Not heard of any here for many 

 years.' Elkington, a bird-stuffer, told me in 1885 

 that he had not received one for five-and-twenty 

 years. Johnson, keeper at Laughton Lodge, wrote in 

 1885 that he had not trapped a polecat for years. 

 Mr. Thomas Woodcock of Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreak, 

 informed me in 1885, that although he had not seen 

 one, he believed he had traced them in that vicinity 

 in snowy weather. Mr. W. Ingram of Belvoir wrote 

 in 1885 : 'I cannot hear that a polecat has been 

 seen or destroyed of late years in our woods ' ; and 

 John Ryder, Belvoir Castle, wrote, in 1885 : 'I have 

 not heard of any caught of late, but about twenty- 

 five years ago, Jno. Gibson, one of the duke's keepers, 

 trapped one in the " Frog Hollow," near the pond. I 

 saw and handled it ; and a very fine one it was, much 

 larger than any ferret I have seen.' Writing again on 

 I July, 1885, he said that two polecats had recently 

 been trapped there. In September, 1885,! saw a speci- 

 men in the possession of Messrs. Warner, Sheppard 

 and Wade, and was referred to Mr. W. Brooks, B.A., 

 J.P., of Croft, who informed me that it was trapped in a 

 rabbit-warren on his estate about thirty years before 

 and was stuffed by T. Bull, his groom. Finding that 

 the specimen was a desideratum, Mr. Sheppard kindly 

 presented it to the museum on 21 October, 1885. 

 I am indebted to Mr. W. H. Thompson, of 

 Beckenham, Kent, for a note of one possessed by 

 Mr. Thomas Rowe, of Evington, which the latter 

 informs me was caught in a trap in Swadborough 

 Spinney in the winter of 1856-7, and is still in his 

 possession. Mr. H. C. Woodcock, of Rearsby, told 

 me of five killed out of one drain at Brentingby by 

 the keeper in 1 847, and showed me three mounted 

 specimens which he believes to have formed part of 

 this company. Colonel F. Palmer, writing to me in 

 1888, said that fifty years previously the polecat was 

 seen in Owston Wood. The late Dr. Macaulay in- 

 formed me that Mr. John Cheney, of Laughton, had 

 two polecats which were killed some years ago (date 

 unknown) from under a haystack. 

 15. Stoat. Putorius ermineus, Linn. 



Bell Mustela ermtnea. 



Locally, Ermine. 



Resident and generally distributed, breeding close 

 to the town of Leicester. Harley recounted how he 



once saw, in the northern part of the county, a 

 stoat chase a squirrel, the latter with great agility 

 ascending some steps leading over the wall into a 

 park ; leaping thence to a branch of an oak-tree 

 it thus escaped from its pursuer, which could 

 follow it no farther than the top of the wall. 

 The late Dr. Macaulay described to me a most 

 exciting chase which he witnessed, and which ended 

 in a singular manner. I give it in his own words : 

 ' On 1 6 February, 1 8 84, 1 was driving from Stonton to 

 Tur Langton, in company with Mr. Miles J. Walker, 

 when our attention was attracted by the scream of a 

 rabbit, a sound which like the cry of a hare is 

 never heard except the animal is in fear. Looking 

 into the adjoining field we saw a rabbit being coursed 

 by a stoat. The rabbit was screaming with terror all 

 the while it ran and the stoat was rapidly gaining 

 ground. After going about a hundred and fifty yards 

 the stoat was within a yard of the rabbit, when the 

 latter suddenly stopped and squatted and at the same 

 time ceased to scream. The stoat stopped also, but 

 instead of attacking the rabbit, squatted also in front of, 

 and face to face with it about a foot off and there they 

 remained motionless, the rabbit apparently paralysed 

 with fear. The occupier of the farm, who happened 

 to be on the road, went into the field, and on his 

 approach the stoat ran off, whilst the rabbit allowed 

 him to pick it up, and he brought it to us and placed 

 it in my carriage. The animal's eyes were closed, 

 the heart was palpitating most violently, and the 

 breathing very rapid. It lay on its side for some 

 minutes motionless, and I thought it would die. A 

 careful examination failed to detect any injury what- 

 ever. After a time it slowly recovered, and we 

 turned it loose again.' Several examples of the stoat 

 have occurred in the county, in partial ' ermine ' or 

 winter dress, and the Leicester Museum donation-book 

 records : ' Stoat in its winter dress, 13 January, 1851,' 

 and another also, ' in winter dress, 30 January, 1851 ; 

 both presented by Joseph Knight, Esq.' the late Maj. 

 Gregory Knight informed me that they were killed at 

 Blaby by a gamekeeper in the employ of his late 

 father. Mr. Thomas Woodcock, writing from Rat- 

 cliffe-on-the-Wreak, in 1885, said: 'One obtained 

 near here pure white. Col. F. Palmer also has one 

 or two in winter dress.' An absolutely white speci- 

 men (ermine) from Saddington was presented to the 

 Leicester Museum early in 1891. Mr. W. J. Horn 

 reports that on 1 8 March, 1894, a stoat of its own 

 accord swam across the canal at Market Harborough, 

 and on 15 May, 1905, he saw a pair by the canal 

 side the male chasing the female and uttering a 

 barking noise. 



1 6. Weasel. Putorius niva/ii, Linn. 



Bell Mustela vulgaris. 



Locally Cane. 



Resident and generally distributed. Harley re- 

 marked : 'This species hunts down the grey rat 

 with wonderful daring and spirit. It also preys on 

 the water rat and traces out the runs of that quiet,, 

 harmless animal with much address and great cunning, 

 surpassing even the adroitness and agility of the 

 ferret.' One, presented by Mr. Thomas Greaves to 

 the Leicester Museum on 14 November, 1851, 

 was killed in Princess Street, close to the museum. 

 During the early part of December, 1856, according 

 to a MS. note dated 5 December, 1856, by Harley, 



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